DeRozan says Ujiri didn’t treat him with respect

Former Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan says he doesn’t feel like he was treated with the respect he deserved by president Masai Ujiri when he was dealt to the San Antonio Spurs last week in the National Basketball Association trade that brought Kawhi Leonard to Toronto. In an interview Tuesday night with ESPN’s Chris Haynes, DeRozan said the trade caught him completely off guard, and that Ujiri had told him in conversations over the summer the plan was to move forward with the all-star in the lineup. Ujiri apologized to DeRozan at a post-trade news conference last week for what he called a “gap in communication.” But DeRozan said he had asked Ujiri for clarification of his status two days before the trade as rumours of the Raptors getting closer to obtaining Leonard persisted. “My mindset was that I was always going to be in Toronto my whole career, but I was never naive of that not happening,” DeRozan said. “Just let me know. Don’t have me thinking otherwise.” DeRozan also took issue with Ujiri saying he gave his core a chance to win. “Every single day and night, whatever was asked from me to make us better. And it showed, it showed in the progress we made as a team, as me as an individual. So when you put that out there saying ‘gave them chances’ ... it’s B.S. to me.” The Raptors won a franchise-best 59 games last season, but were swept in the Eastern Conference semifinals by Cleveland for a second straight year.